squirt

Etymology

From Middle English squirten, squyrten, of uncertain origin; probably imitative. Akin to swirl. Compare Low German swirtjen (“to squirt”) and Swedish water onomatopoeias skvala, skvalp, skvimpa, and skvätta; Icelandic skvetta; and Norwegian skvette.

noun

1. An instrument from which a liquid is forcefully ejected in a small, quick stream.
   The Karo-Bataks of Sumatra have a rain-making ceremony which lasts a week. The men go about with bamboo squirts and the women with bowls of water, and they drench each other or throw the water into the air and cry, "The rain has come," when it drips down on them. 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 1, page 277
2. A small, quick stream; a jet.
   Chances are you′ll get a squirt of citrus juice in your eye. 2007, Peter Elst, Sas Jacobs, Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0, page 9
3. (hydrodynamics) The whole system of flow in the vicinity of a source.
4. A burst of noise.
   As the connection was broken, the receiver let out a shrill squirt of static. 2011, Andy Mulligan, Return to Ribblestrop
5. (slang) An annoyingly pretentious person; a whippersnapper.
   He was still there when I came up, a squirt with his hat over one eye and a camera hung round his neck and a grin on his squirt face. I thought maybe I had seen him around town, but maybe not, the squirts look so much alike when they grind them out of journalism school. 1946, Robert Penn Warren, All the King′s Men, published 2005, page 606
6. (UK, US, Australia, slang) A small child.
   Hey squirt! Where you been?
   1986, Alethea Helbig, Agnes Perkins, Cutlass Island, entry in Dictionary of American Children′s Fiction, 1960-1984: Recent Books of Recognized Merit, page 137, Hurd returns with Mal, Mr. Eph, and Gumbo, the “town squirt” of twelve, and the boys′ activities come out.
   2010, Karen Witemeyer, A Tailor-Made Bride, Bethany House Publishers, US, page 66, How the child managed to converse and fold at the same time was a marvel, yet the shirt lay in a tidy rectangle by the time she came up for air. “Thanks, squirt.” He winked at her and she giggled.
7. (slang, vulgar, uncountable) Female ejaculate.
8. (informal) An act of urination.
   Excuse me, I need to take a squirt.
9. (kayaking) A maneuver in which the boat is forced into a nearly vertical position.

verb

1. (intransitive, of a liquid) To be thrown out, or ejected, in a rapid stream, from a narrow orifice.
   The toothpaste squirted from the tube.
   1865, Sabine Baring-Gould, The Book of Werewolves, 2008, Forgotten Books, page 121, His servants would stab a child in the jugular vein, and let the blood squirt over him.
2. (transitive, of a liquid) To cause to be ejected, in a rapid stream, from a narrow orifice.
   It can squirt this poison in jets up to a distance of one metre and usually aims at the eyes of its victim. 1985, The Living Australia, Dangerous Australians: The Complete Guide to Australia′s Most Deadly Creatures, Murdoch Books, published 2002, page 88
   2005, Lisa Heard, NancyRayhorn, 8: Pediatric Sedation, Jan Odom-Forren, Donna Watson, Practical Guide To Moderate Sedation/Analgesia, 2nd Edition, page 171, When administering the medication, the RN should place the syringe tip along the side of the mouth and slowly squirt the medicine toward the buccal vestibule, not toward the throat.
   Use a dropper and squirt the desired amount in the side of the child′s mouth. 2011, James Balch, Mark Stengler, Prescription for Natural Cures, unnumbered page
3. (transitive, by extension) To emit, eject or excrete (something).
   Among the hallmarks that all fungi share is the way they eat. They squirt out enzymes to break down nearby organic material and then soak it in. Fungi can also produce vast number of spores, which can survive in all sorts of extreme conditions for years. 2022-09-29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times
4. (transitive) To hit with a rapid stream of liquid.
   Ask the child to squirt the target with water. 2010, Christy Isbell, Mighty Fine Motor Fun: Fine Motor Activities for Young Children, page 81
5. (transitive, figurative, obsolete) To throw out or utter words rapidly; to prate.
6. (intransitive, slang, vulgar, of a female) To ejaculate.
   Women who squirt rhapsodize about the experience, reporting that it elicits feelings of empowerment and a deeper connection to their own bodies. 2010, Sonia Borg, Oral Sex She′ll Never Forget, page 9
7. (kayaking) To forcefully maneuver against the current so that the end of the boat is forced nearly vertical.
   Let's start by assuming that you are going to tail squirt as you leave an eddy andd enter the flowing water. 2000, Eric Brymer, Tom Hughes, Loel Collins, The Art of Freestyle, page 62